Average Community Health Nurse Salary In The UK

Updated 24th March 2026

• This article was originally published on 14th November 2022, and last updated 24th March 2026
• All figures represent the 3.3% increase set for April 1st 2026

Community Health Nurses, often referred to simply as Community Nurses, work within communities – providing care at GP surgeries, patient’s homes, schools and much more besides.

As a result, the nature of what Community Nurses do varies greatly from one job to the next.

But in comparison to a hospital-based Nurse, a key difference is that Community Health Nurses tend to offer care that is suited to a community setting.

Typically, this includes regular and ongoing treatments for elderly patients, disabled patients or those with diabetes, for example.

Community Health Nurses come from the same foundations as a General Nurse, and indeed perform many similar tasks to a General Nurse – albeit in a different setting.

But what are salaries like for Community Health Nurses? And what is the average salary for a Community Nurse?

This short guide answers these questions, and more.

What is the starting salary for a Community Health Nurse?

Technically, the starting salary for a Community Health Nurse is currently £32,073 a year.

Community Nurses are paid on the same NHS bandings as General Nurses – so start at band 5, the banding for all newly qualified Registered Nurses.

However, because Community Nurses normally need experience and further qualifications, their starting salaries are often higher than a newly qualified General Nurse.

There are some private sector roles for Community Nurses too, but pay varies more widely because it’s unregulated.

What is the highest salary a Community Health Nurse can earn?

Senior Community Nurses and District Nurses can earn salaries of £39,959 (Band 6 with up to 2 years' experience) to £56,515 (Band 7 with 5 years or more experience).

Beyond this, at Band 8a and on, a Community Nurse will earn upwards of £57,528 (Band 8a with up to 2 years experience).

These levels of pay are in higher bandings and will require lots of varied experience, management credentials, and potentially, specialist qualifications.

How else can you boost your earnings as a Community Health Nurse?

Beyond building your experience or gaining new skills and qualifications to apply for more senior roles, you could consider bank or agency roles.

With enough experience and the flexibility to work in different locations, perhaps at short notice, bank and agency roles can offer higher daily rates of pay.

Private roles, anecdotally, can also offer higher salaries – but it can vary from one role to the next.

Furthermore, the benefits of a private sector role aren’t always as generous as those within the NHS.